Bulldogs On Top After First Round

NEW HAVEN, Conn.—After one round of play, the Yale women's golf team holds a strong five-stroke lead at the Sept. 20-22 Yale Intercollegiate at the Yale Golf Course in New Haven, Conn.

The Bulldogs got off to a strong start on Friday, propelled by momentum from their 23-stroke victory at last weekend's Dartmouth Invitational. Today, Yale shot +8 to lead the 17-team field, one that includes Ivy League rivals Dartmouth and Penn. Second-place Boston University shot +13 on Friday.

Leading the way for the home team was freshman Elisabeth Bernabe, who fired a skillful 69 (-2) to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Boston University's Adela Cejnarova. Friday's performance came on the heels of an outstanding debut at the Dartmouth Invitational, where she clinched the tournament medal.

Bernabe's fellow freshman, Sandy Wongwaiwate, is also near the top of the leaderboard. On Friday, she shot 73 (+2) to sit in a tie for fifth. Senior Seo Hee Moon is one stroke further back, at 74 (+3) in a tie for eighth, while junior Marika Liu closed Friday's round in a tie for 14th, at 76 (+5).

In a testament to the strength of the new class, freshman Sara Garmezy also shot a strong 78 (+7) in her first tournament round at home, to sit in a tie for 33rd. Junior Shreya Ghei turned into the clubhouse with a 79 (+8), in a tie for 41st.

If the Bulldogs can maintain their performance to the end of the tournament, they will be in good shape to improve on last year's result, in which they finished in a tie for fourth.

Yale's golfers will tee off for their second rounds starting at 9:40 a.m. Saturday.